Yet at that moment, Hiddink realized he could not even vent his frustration on that lowly branch director. Without his noticing, Green had gotten a grip on his weak point—and Hiddink had handed it to him himself. If he had set aside his schemes and summoned Green for a frank conversation from the start, things would not have become so awkward.
After a long silence, Hiddink finally let out a deep breath and shook his head. "Forget it. The Grand Duke's mission comes first. You go talk to him. You can promise him some benefits. Don't worry about my feelings."
Monica nodded, secretly relieved. If Hiddink had stubbornly dug in his heels, she would not have known what to do. If they ruined Grand Duke Mora's plans, she and Lieutenant Colonel Scott would both be caught in the fallout.
After leaving the reception room, Monica turned a corner and went straight to Lieutenant Colonel Scott.
"How did it go? What did the adviser say?" Scott was just as anxious and asked the moment he saw Monica.
Monica managed a smile and nodded. "It went fairly well. He's told me to contact Director Green Wilson."
Scott breathed a long sigh of relief. "That's good. I don't know what grievance Lord Hiddink has against Green Wilson, but he's been remarkably stubborn about it."
Monica spread her hands. "Who knows? But Director Wilson is formidable too. He saw through everything. We laid out the bait, and he flatly refused to bite. Instead, he had us scrambling until we had no choice but to swallow our pride and negotiate with him."
"Yes! He's a shrewd, ruthless character. I heard he survived Faerun City back then. To come out alive when the odds were nine deaths to one..." Scott trailed off, unable to find the